OUR BABIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14656, 25 January 1912, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

(By HygeTa.)

"WHY BABIES DIE. At this season ox tzio year there is cue thing w ia.ii anyone m ceres >n the weiiure or i*j.b 4 c6 ciiouiU m.on over and over agjun, and tnat 5 the need lor eternal cure anu watciiiu.ness j on the part 01 the moiner or narso to prevent- the b..by \ rjl ng even a single meal or naky or t-uuued nj;k. Some women Uw trouble of thinking, or ta-iimg cure, by indiscriminately bailing the inJk *rei-y morning and even.ng: but; they mil to rea.ise that by so doing thev injure the nutritive qualities 01 the VaUy : s food and render the child more iiable t-o catch disease, besides endowing ,t- v. hh less stamina to hold 0111- axtor crease has gained a. fcothoid than would "be the case with a child fed for the most part on unboiled milk. 3lilk which has been boiled, condensed, or dried tends to cause constipation, and it- must be f:ome in mind that constipation is first cousin to diarrhoea. A constipated rbild is liable at any moment, to go to the opposite extreme and to readily a--cujre intractable diarrhoea. The resorting to superheated milk should be limited to the times, occasions, and local circumst-ances -which more or less necessitate its use. Hi us, in certaiu localities, during Vs?ry sultry., trying weather, the use of superheated milk (whether boiled, ccedensed, or dried), properly modified and prepared to tun, the babv, ltj.v he a wise precaution. But. why should the mother subject the "baby's m,ik to the prejudicial effects of superheisiag every day in the week, when, perhap-, even in a had locality xhere are nut a. dozen days in the hottest -month of the yetu* whfch render this precaution desirable. The true housewife and mother watches the weather, and notes any sltfirp rise or fall iii the temper itu.'c, . even though her "baby is breast-fed j and there is no milk to prepare. She j is attentive to changes in the weather, j because she has to see that the child is neither underclad or over-clad day ]or night; and &he has t-o note tho I direction of the wind so as to | against undue draughts. But it the j baby is receiving cow's milk the ;n» en- ■ tive to paying reasonable attention to ! the "weather is infinitely greater than in the case or a nurseling ut- the ; breast. SAVE THE BABIES. To save the baby from the curse 03? diarrhoea during the next three months the mother should keep herself in good health and breast-feed if possible; failing this, give humanised milk according t-o the Society's directions in "Feeding and Oar© of Baby/ 3 It is worth noting that some babies thrive better up to three or four months of age if given one part of newmilk whey to every three or four parts of humanised milk than ihey do if given humanised milk pure. "This, is specially likely to bo the case if there is any tendency to constipation; where the tendency is the other \ray any extra whey is apt t-o xu&ke the infant still more relaxed. Some babies are benefited bv the addition of from two to iour ounces of builed new milk witii the dav's allowance of humanised milk. A gradual addition in this direction can be tried in any case where the babv's weight fails to go up at the average rate, and tins allowance .can he continued if it appears to suit. j Remember that heat, fermentation, improper food are the main causes of infantile diarrhoea. Therefore secure the right food at once, and keep it dean and cool in a shaded, openair safe. Beware of condensed milk, patent toods, and simple diluted cow's milk with 01* without cane sugar or water. Mothers go on using such Toods so long as the baby seems to bo doing well, forgetful of the fact that sooner or later the baby usually breaks down, and in any case will not thrive so well as on food properly adapted to tne needs of infancv. If the baby becomes ill, call in a doctor without delay. Remember that though diairhoea is a common ailment, it "is the one broad avenue lead-no- to debility ipid death in infancy, of the children who die later of other ailments have been maimed and vr; k- * ened first of all by infantilg diarrhoea, (